FLORENCE, Ala. (AP) — Austin Smith threw for 406 yards, four touchdowns and completed a program-best 88.5 percent of his passes and Austin Peay beat North Alabama 31-17 Saturday in a game where he didn’t never been conducted.

After Carson Smith’s 37-yard field goal for the Governors (4-5, 3-3 United Athletic), Smith threw a 57-yard touchdown to Jaden Barnes, followed by a 31-yard touchdown to Barnes and closed out the first half with a 14-yard scoring pass to Romon Copeland Jr. for a 24-3 lead.

The Lions used the third quarter to get within a touchdown when quarterback TJ Smith threw it in starting at the 14:30 mark. With 5:40 left in the third, Smith threw a 19-yard touchdown to Ben Harris. to reduce the deficit to 24-17.

Austin Peay finished the scoring with a 49-yard touchdown run to Barnes with 7:21 left. Smith completed 31 of 35 passes and Barnes had 12 catches for 241 yards and three touchdowns.

Austin Smith’s completion percentage is a single-game program record with a minimum of 10 passes thrown. In 2003, Jesse Kellogg set the previous record of 87.5% against Kentucky Wesleyan.

Barnes’ single-game reception total ranks second in program history along with Drae McCray (2022 vs. Alabama), Pat Curran (2003, Kentucky Wesleyan) and Michael Farrell (1999, Virginia-Wise) . His 241 yards rank second all-time in program history behind Harold Roberts’ 250 yards in 1969 against Murray State.

TJ Smith threw for 278 yards and ran for 62 yards for the Lions (3-6, 3-2).

Austin Peay has won the last three meetings between the two, including a 38-35 victory in 2022 at Braly Stadium and a 49-39 victory last season in Clarksville.

Despite the Governors’ winning streak, North Alabama leads the all-time series with a 14-7 record.

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